The Deafening Silence Tuesday

#1 · September 6, 2005, 1:50 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on September 6, 2005, 1:50 pm
Posted by: bigguyhereagain <bigguyhereagain@...>
Hurricane Katrina
State of Emergency

America has faced another devastating hurricane
Louisiana and Mississippi were hardest hit
Please keep all of Katrinas victims in your prayers,
And most of all donate any amount to the American
Red Cross.

"The Deafening Silence"

First came the name. Katrina. It sounded harmless enough, and undoubtedly spawned countless remarks about how harmless the storm was at the time. Then came the predictions of demise. They said that the storm barely had enough strength to survive. It did survive, and Katrina grew from a tiny tropical storm to a modest hurricane. Then came the forecasts. The experts changed their mind, believing she might go as high as Category 3 or even 4, and Katrina was busy proving them wrong again, growing to a Category 5 monster the likes of which are seen at most, a few times per century. Then came the harbingers, the sensationalists, prophesizing doom on a Biblical scale for the city of New Orleans. But Hurricane Katrina blew ashore some 50-100 miles to the East of where she was predicted to hit. She arrived with significantly reduced power, and some felt this meant she was less of a concern, as if 150 mph winds were somehow not a big deal because they were 175 mph just 12 hours prior to landfall.

Katrina ravaged the coast, pushing her way onshore, yet somehow retaining her composure until much later, like a stubborn prize fighter refusing to go down. She blasted Mississippi and Alabama, states who seemed completely surprised by the fact that a hurricane was bearing down on them.

Then came pictures from the towns to the east of New Orleans. They caused concern for any with family or friends down south with sobering images of rubble stretching for miles on end. Yet, after 72+ hours of heading for the coast, she still took Alabama and Mississippi by surprise. It needs to be said again. A catastrophic hurricane that had been watched, forecasted, and bandied about on the news for more than a week stunned tens to hundreds of thousands of people when it made landfall. The media and the National Weather Service decided that only New Orleans was worthy of its haughty attention, and they lavished it upon the city, leaving towns to the east where the most powerful part of the hurricane smashed ashore out of its spotlight. Those who are unfamiliar with hurricanes would have thought that it was only going to hit New Orleans. Tens of thousands in Mississippi and Alabama who were given voluntary evacuation options remained in their homes. Eventually the levee that held New Orleans safe ruptured, some 24 hours after Katrina's departure, and long after the damage had been done to dozens of other towns and millions of homes.

Then came the results. Cities like Gulf Port and Biloxi have been literally scoured from the face of the Earth, and the impoverished residents who were aware of Katrina either incapable of leaving the area, or couldn't afford to evacuate. The media and weather services, who could have warned residents of Mississippi and Alabama about the impending danger of Katrina, chose to be a ratings suck hole. Our government, which had ample time to commute the residents powerless to get out of Katrina's way must now find and remove their bodies instead.

And the bodies continue floating in the flooded streets even as the government reassures the nation that everything is A-OK and under control.

Then came the chaos and gunshots from angry citizens in the city. The music of hell.

The result is that hurricane Katrina will probably be the costliest and deadliest disaster ever to strike the United States. Did it really have to be this way? Did so many people have to be caught by surprise? Did so many have to die?

Now comes the silence.
Douglas V. Berry

"Brighter Tormorrows"

Never stop caring
about the quality of life
never stop dreaming
or give in to strife.

Never stop building bridges
that lead to promising tomorrows,
never stop trying
or give in to sorrows.

Never stop smiling
and looking forward to each new day,
But most of all my friend...
never stop shining in your own special way.

Never forget that all storms can clear
the grayest sky can turn pure blue.
Remember brighter tomorrows are near...

"Do Not"

Do not... undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Do not... set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Do not... take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not... let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Do not... give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Do not... be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Do not... shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love; The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.

Do not... dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope; To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not... run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
Unknown

Have a Blessed day
Dave and Barbara

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Posted by: bigguyhereagain <bigguyhereagain@...>

Hurricane Katrina
State of Emergency

America has faced another devastating hurricane
Louisiana and Mississippi were hardest hit
Please keep all of Katrinas victims in your prayers,
And most of all donate any amount to the American
Red Cross.

"The Deafening Silence"

First came the name. Katrina. It sounded harmless enough, and undoubtedly spawned countless remarks about how harmless the storm was at the time. Then came the predictions of demise. They said that the storm barely had enough strength to survive. It did survive, and Katrina grew from a tiny tropical storm to a modest hurricane. Then came the forecasts. The experts changed their mind, believing she might go as high as Category 3 or even 4, and Katrina was busy proving them wrong again, growing to a Category 5 monster the likes of which are seen at most, a few times per century. Then came the harbingers, the sensationalists, prophesizing doom on a Biblical scale for the city of New Orleans. But Hurricane Katrina blew ashore some 50-100 miles to the East of where she was predicted to hit. She arrived with significantly reduced power, and some felt this meant she was less of a concern, as if 150 mph winds were somehow not a big deal because they were 175 mph just 12 hours prior to landfall.

Katrina ravaged the coast, pushing her way onshore, yet somehow retaining her composure until much later, like a stubborn prize fighter refusing to go down. She blasted Mississippi and Alabama, states who seemed completely surprised by the fact that a hurricane was bearing down on them.

Then came pictures from the towns to the east of New Orleans. They caused concern for any with family or friends down south with sobering images of rubble stretching for miles on end. Yet, after 72+ hours of heading for the coast, she still took Alabama and Mississippi by surprise. It needs to be said again. A catastrophic hurricane that had been watched, forecasted, and bandied about on the news for more than a week stunned tens to hundreds of thousands of people when it made landfall. The media and the National Weather Service decided that only New Orleans was worthy of its haughty attention, and they lavished it upon the city, leaving towns to the east where the most powerful part of the hurricane smashed ashore out of its spotlight. Those who are unfamiliar with hurricanes would have thought that it was only going to hit New Orleans. Tens of thousands in Mississippi and Alabama who were given voluntary evacuation options remained in their homes. Eventually the levee that held New Orleans safe ruptured, some 24 hours after Katrina's departure, and long after the damage had been done to dozens of other towns and millions of homes.

Then came the results. Cities like Gulf Port and Biloxi have been literally scoured from the face of the Earth, and the impoverished residents who were aware of Katrina either incapable of leaving the area, or couldn't afford to evacuate. The media and weather services, who could have warned residents of Mississippi and Alabama about the impending danger of Katrina, chose to be a ratings suck hole. Our government, which had ample time to commute the residents powerless to get out of Katrina's way must now find and remove their bodies instead.

And the bodies continue floating in the flooded streets even as the government reassures the nation that everything is A-OK and under control.

Then came the chaos and gunshots from angry citizens in the city. The music of hell.

The result is that hurricane Katrina will probably be the costliest and deadliest disaster ever to strike the United States. Did it really have to be this way? Did so many people have to be caught by surprise? Did so many have to die?

Now comes the silence.
Douglas V. Berry

"Brighter Tormorrows"

Never stop caring
about the quality of life
never stop dreaming
or give in to strife.

Never stop building bridges
that lead to promising tomorrows,
never stop trying
or give in to sorrows.

Never stop smiling
and looking forward to each new day,
But most of all my friend...
never stop shining in your own special way.

Never forget that all storms can clear
the grayest sky can turn pure blue.
Remember brighter tomorrows are near...

"Do Not"

Do not... undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Do not... set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Do not... take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not... let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Do not... give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Do not... be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Do not... shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love; The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.

Do not... dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope; To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not... run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
Unknown

Have a Blessed day
Dave and Barbara

Necessary Legal Information

We do not mail idea-central unsolicited. If you are receiving this newsletter from us it's because you have subscribed to this mailing list. If you receive this newsletter and are not a subscriber then someone, other than us, has forwarded it to you.

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Web Unsubscribe: idea-central-allow-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

Email Group Owner: idea-central-owner@associate.com

  --  To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: idea-central-unsubscribe@welovegod.org